1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to user interfaces and, more particularly, to a system and method for selecting content for a user interface
2. Description of the Background Art
As people are increasingly using mobile phones, navigation devices, tablets, and other computing devices, there is a need for user interfaces on such devices that can dynamically provide a user with a variety of up-to-date information relevant to the user. For example, at present, navigation devices offer a user the benefit of directing him or her to his or her intended destination, as well as basic internet search capabilities for finding local attractions and related general information. While this level of functionality is, without a doubt, useful to the user, as more and more computing devices are being brought into the realm of greater interactivity, users will soon expect to have more information at their fingertips, which is tailored to them and specific to their interest.
For example, a user may not just want to know where the local gas stations are located, but will want to know which gas stations along their route are in a price range that they would consider stopping at. This requires the system to know or learn the user's behavior. The user may want to know where his or her friends are located and the local venues they are currently visiting. The user may want to know which local venues are hosting events or offering specials on products or services related to his or her interests.
Known user interfaces on navigation devices, mobile phones, and other computing device are not designed to provide the user with a plurality of information that frequently changes based on the user's likely interest and context (e.g., location, whether driving, etc.). One of the challenges of providing such an interface is determining what content to display on the interface at any time. Traditional interface generation software uses a centralized process to determine what to display on the interface at any given time. One of the difficulties in providing a dynamic user interface that is constantly capable of changing is that, for a centralized process to decide what content is most important, requires a large, complex set of rules that needs to be updated every time a new content category is added. Such application would be a monolithic application that would have to consider all possible content possibilities and decide what content to display. Therefore, there is a need for a system and method that can more easily provide a dynamic, user interface that is capable of frequently changing (and learning) to provide the most relevant information to the user. One area in which this need is especially felt is in navigation devices and navigation applications.